An important part of the writer’s job is to read books. We cannot develop our craft if we don’t do the research. I am a paranormal fiction author, but I read books from all genres, to get an idea of what is popular, what writing styles I prefer, and most importantly, which stories I enjoy. I have been a member of a very informal local book club for the past few years, and we enjoy reading books that challenge our world view, books that inspire us to seek new experiences, books that describe a history that we have never previously given much thought to (The Choice by Edith Eger was my last book club read), and many more. Our book club meets once a month to discuss what we have been reading, but over summer we take a break and choose a larger book. Summer book club is always an interesting prospect. I remember reading Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts a few years’ ago, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I wouldn’t have chosen to read it otherwise. You can see my review for that book here.

Today I returned a few books to my local library and picked up a copy of our epic summer read, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. My children are getting older now, so I would hope to find more time to read while they are off school for summer holidays. They generally entertain themselves at home, so I only have to feed them occasionally, and give them a bath once in a while… Which means I can settle down with this 736-page epic story about the lives of four friends as they explore adulthood in the big city, learning, growing and making sense of their lives as they go along. It sounds like my kind of story, and I am eager to get stuck in. Maybe it will inspire me to write more stories when we return to school for the new academic year. Maybe it will give me an emotional and intellectual feast. Or maybe I will not enjoy the story, and I will find something else to read… the tale will unfold in due time.

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